MMA Boxer Workout: How to Punch Harder, How to Punch Faster With The Jab

  In this segment Pro MMA fighter Buck Nasty is going to take an in depth look to the technique and form in the jab punch and why it is critical to perfect your technique for the fight.  This is part one of three sessions on the jab, how to throw it, how to use it, and much more.  You may think you know all the details but listen in and take note on how to utilize the jab for your advantage.   The jab is a punch that is critical to a fighter's arsenal.  Starting as an overhand punch, as the fist is released towards the opponent near the moment of impact the fist turns to where the palm is facing to the ground, elbow is fully extended and parallel to the ground.  It is critical to get the lead hand that threw the punch right back to the pocket that it was released from on your face and not in an indirect way.  The reason being is that this is a very vulnerable time for a counter punch from your opponent.  The jab is great for defense and forcing distance between you and your opponent so that they cannot shoot in as easily.  It can be used as a counterpunch and in combination with other punches.  It can be used straight on with full crotch or with a side stance and can be used as an aggressive offensive move where you can keep the opponent busy blocking jabs, allowing time for you to sweep in under him. 

Mixed Martial Arts Video Transcript:  More of the jab we just went over, real basic. You see a lot of beginners flaws showing up. One of the common thing is they want to hit the bag and it looks cool. You know? It looks good, but no power on it. You want to pop the bag, make it swing. One of the thing I learned when I was doing some striking from one of the coaches was, here's how he demonstrated to me. Take your pointer finger and see how hard you can hit something, all right?
That's all you got.

Now if you whip it, if you physically take it, and pull it back, and swing it forward that gives you a little more power. So that's your hips throwing your punch, or that's your hips leading your kick. So everything, when you're doing any kind of classes from the hips. So your sitting here, boom, I'm throwing it forward with my hips. It's not so much the pushing, that's what we're talking about with the bag swinging. It looks cool, but when you see the bag pop that's where your power is. And the same kind of thing Karate talks about a lot, I took Karate when I was little.

It wasn't no physical contact, it's more looking pretty and kicking ghost ninjas. Just not what I was into. You know, talking about bleeding punches where you push it out. You know, it looks good and it may work if you got a guy stuck against the wall. But you really want to pop it and that's what's going to create your [inaudible 00:01:03]. You go to the best boxers, it's not how fast their hands get out there, it's how fast they get back to throw the next punch. You know, you can't throw a punch here and then leave them out. So it's all about speed, return to set the next one up.

Another one of the common mistakes you'll see a little bit, and I've been correcting a little bit. You'll jab, real good technique here and you'll roll your hand back. From here to here is fast, from here to here is a long way. That's a good way to get knocked out. You've got a hook or a kick coming back, it will beat you back before your hand will go to sleep. You want to keep it straight out and straight back.

Put your hand on the bag, now touch your face. Start off in the stance, now put your hand on the bag and pull back. Do it again. Pull back, again. Back. Now punch and bring it back. Better, go again. You rolled it that time. Here. Here. Touch the side of your head. That is going to make you want to bring your hand back. You're not going to do it both hands, it will create a bad habit. Touch, touch. Touch, touch. You will to look like the Home Alone kid at the end. This is going to make you bring your hand back and then get to where you are moving a little faster. Get your hips going a little bit. You want to keep your hand up to make your muscle memory get back to where it is. Dan Gable said to perfect a move it takes 10,000 perfect practices. That's a lot of jabs. Think about it, if you mess up, it sets you back 30 times. Say you do 100 perfect and then you do a sloppy one. You're back to 70. It has a lot to do with muscle memory. Here, then touch your face. You don't even have to worry about punching. Just touch it.

Some of the basic boxing drills to fix bad habits, everybody's got bad habits. You're first fight, more likely, you'll go out, touch gloves. You'll throw one good punch and then...So, you want to get that muscle memory in there to where you are punching. You're bringing your hands back. I had a fight while I was still in college, trained down there, kind of halfway did it. Skipped the cardio, skipped some of the technique, the guy punched me, I swatted it down and the next thing I know, he drops me.

Luckily my wrestling carried me through. I recovered, swept him. Got back up, took him down and that was the end of the fight. I finished winning all three rounds even being dropped. You want to make sure, a different referee might have stopped the fight and it would have been a lose on my record because I got away from the fundamentals. You want to stick with the basics.